2-Minute Sleep Tip: Avoid a Common Sleep Trap with the 14-Hour Rule

One reason your teen may have a hard time falling asleep is that they haven’t been awake long enough to build adequate ‘hunger’ for sleep (or sleep drive).

One of the simplest ways to avoid this problem is to use the 14-hour rule.

Generally, your teen needs to wait at least 14 hours after they wake up for the day before they can expect enough sleep drive to fuel a solid night’s sleep.

This simple calculation can help your teen bypass the very common trap of showing up too early for sleep (which often snowballs into frustration, anxiety, and more insomnia).

Today's 2-Minute Action:

1. Think of a time your teen slept in (ex. on a weekend, holiday, or after a poor night’s sleep) and write down the time they woke up for the day.
2. Add 14 hours to this time. [Tip: Add 2 hours to the wake-up time, then switch from AM to PM or PM to AM.]
3. Ask yourself: Does your teen sometimes show up too early for sleep? Does showing up before there is enough sleep drive contribute to their sleep problem?

All the Best,

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For More:

Listen to Find the Eight Episode #1: The Number One Sleep Trap You Need to Avoid.

Next Week's Tip:

Sleep drive is just one piece of the puzzle. In next week’s newsletter, we'll talk about how your teen is set up for an out-of-sync body clock, a common factor that fuels teen insomnia.

A friendly note if you not are a parent of teens: You may have noticed that this newsletter doesn’t sound like it’s written for you. Though I hope you'll still find the ideas and tips helpful, if you wish to unsubscribe, no hard feelings at all! If you know any parents of teens who might benefit from these tips, please share my website where they can sign up for this newsletter.